I would like to know more on the more than 20 hospitals stationed in Salonika during ww1. I wish to find out of their equipment, staff, and operations. I have some photographs myself.

Hi!

I just posted this article written around 1921 by an officer who served at No. 4 Canadian General Hospital in Salonica.

Much of the article dwells on his impressions of the region, however, he does describe when the hospital treated the Irish 10th Division in December 1915.

The book was a collection of articles written by members of Toronto's Trinity Methodist Church. Although the work may be outdated, and not up to date with modern research, one does get an impression of the spirit of the men. The author of the Salonica piece is initially apologetic - indicating that he understands that most of the public was interested in what was going on at the Western Front, and didn't understand the value of the work done at Salonica.

The book is quite rare, and I am currently transcribing a number of the stories as the church parishioners served in quite a range of units.

Marika

Link to article - Salonica - No. 4 Cdn General Hospital

Picture posted is the author of the article.

Can I suggest you try and find a copy of the Toronto University roll of honour. It's not expensive to find, surprisingly and it has quite a bit on info about the Canadian Hospital Units at Salonika nad useful background to their establishment and support.

Martin

Martin has made a good point.

The University of Toronto Roll of Honour has a chapter on No. 4 Canadian General Hospital - their contribution to the war effort.

Hi there-
There is a chapter on the medical services in Salonika and the hardships the medical orderlies faced in the book "Under the Devil's Eye: The British Army in Salonika, 1915-1918", by Alan Wakefield and Simon Moody, published by Suttons. I would recommend this as a starting point for further, in depth, research. If you have more specific questions both authors are members of this forum and I am sure, are more than willing to answer any queries. Hope this helps, all the best

Dimitri

I'll add to this list as and when I find more.


Scottish Women's Hospital

General Hospitals:
29th
37th
41st
43rd
48th
49th
52nd
67th

Stationary Hospitals
21st

Thanks marika,
I found the article most interesting. I knew that one of the radiologists on a Canadian hospital was Gordon Earle Richards who was from the Toronto University, became Professor and later Dean, but did not know which hospital that was and did not know that the whole crew of that hospital was from the University of Toronto.

Thanks again

Gerryl

Good point Martin. I will try and get hold of it. I might have problems since I am based in Ahtnes Greece.

Thanks for the input.
Gerryl

Dear Kate, The list I have got is the following:

5th
20th
28th
29th
43rd
47th
60th
61st
66th
67th
68th
68th Field Ambulance
Indian General
Scottish Women's Hospitals
Australian Army Nursing Service
4th Canadian
5th Canadian

However, I have very little information on them. I will read the devil's eye book and see what I can find. Thanks!

Dimitri, I have ordered the book. Thanks for the information.

Gerryl

Hello Gerry,

The Field Ambulance you mention is one of many. Each brigade had its own FA, carrying the same number as the Brigade it served, hence there were three with each division. They were not hospitals, but evacuated the wounded from the frontline to the Casualty Clearing Stations and other medical posts.

Can you tell us more about the information you wish to find? Are you hoping to identify your photographs?

PS I've just put a couple more on my list above.

Hi Kate,

I must admit that I knew liitle about the Salonica campaign until recently despite the fact that I am Greek and often visit Salonica. Over the last months I came acorss a number of books in greek that do not mention much, however I have found lots of photographs. Therefore, I am trying to identify the units, their location, the kind of services provided, even if they were equiped with x-rays or not. I am also interested on the hospitals on the island of Lemnos but for this subject I have already found a lot.

regards

gerryl

Hi Gerry,

There were also hospital ships in the Harbour.

As for locations, 49th GH were at Hortiach from May 1917.

Can you post a sample photograph here to see if any of us can identify it?

Good to have a member from Greece on the Forum. Welcome!

Kate

PS Perhaps, if we do get to Salonika later this year, we can meet up?

Are you a member of the Salonika Campaign Society?

Gerry Kalos eirthes!

De vlepoume kai pollous Ellines se touta ta meri!!

Regarding the hospitals it would be nice to see a couple of the photos you mentioned.

You are correct as to regards books in Greek. Almost all Greek texts I have seen focus on the Greek involvement in WW1 or are concerned with the political shenanigans between the Allies and the Greek governement. If you are looking to find out more about the British involvement in the Salonika campaign then there are quite a few books that deal with the subject. There are also a couple of books written in other languages, such as Bulgarian, French and Italian that I am aware of and which focus on the involvement of their respective forces in the campaign.

All the best

Dimitri

Hello,

New to the forum, so forgive me any mistakes.

I came across this thread, while not having a direct interest in Salonika Hospitals, I did have the good fortune to pick up a small number of photos and letters to a British Doctor who served in Salonika. His name was Capt.E.H.Roberts, RAMC who was appointed aspecialist in Operative Surgery at No.82 General Hospital, 10/6/1918.

Capt Roberts from the letters appears to have joined up in Sept 1914, and been in France as part of the BEF in Dec 1914, transfering to Salonika in 1918.

1)I have an envelope posted from England to No.82 Hospital, Salonika 23/7/18
2)An official Post Office card ('Postmasters No.65') Indicating Capt Roberts mail should be sent to 'Base Post Office Salonika'. 4/12/1918
3)Greek Telegraph Envelope to 'Capt Roberts 82nd Hospital'
4) 2 Eastern Telegraph Company telegrams (Greek revised form) to Capt Roberts 82nd Hospital dated 18/5/1919 and 9/4/1919
5)Clerical copy from commanding officer 82nd General Hospital to the pay master regarding Roberts 26/6/18
6) Draft letter 6/10/1917, seeking further medical studies when his enlistment ends.
7) Draft letter 7/11/1917, seeking further medical studies when his enlistment ends.
8) Letter from Scottish Medical Service Emergency Committee certifing Roberts as registered to serve with the RAMC, 14/11/1917
9) A letter from War Office to Roberts 19/5/1919, thanking him for his service in the RAMC.
10) Clearance Certificate (officers) Expeditionary Forces 1/5/1919
11) Officers DeMob booklet (AB 471)
12) Small sheet 'Instructions for Officers Dispersed through officers dispersal unit, 26, South Eaton Place, London, SW
13) Envelope from War office containing 9,10,11 and 12 above.
14)A few envelopes letters for other service,
15)2 travel pases to 'Royal Infimary Edinburgh' 26/2/1917 and 15/1/1918
16) I have A number of hand written case notes for 'A Case of Cerebro-spinal fever simulating acute nephritus'. But I think this was for a case in France as he signs them 'Tempt Lt RAMC i/c 12th Brigade RFA'

Finally I have around 20 photos, some showing Capt Roberts in France, then a few showing what must be the voyage out to Salonika, and some shots of what I assume is Salonika hospital and harbour. They were taken with a number of different cameras, so prints are very small and quality is lacking, many being faded or blured. But I've attached pictures of the two nice ones which I think must be Salonika.

Let me know if this is of interest and I will try to provide more details,

Best regards,

Jeff Hayes

The photgraph at the bottom is definately not Salonika. It looks like Istanbul but I am not sure. Why don't you post some more of Salonika and I can let you know. Your collection is very nice but does not help me very much. I want to find the presice position of the allied hospitals in and around Salonika.

Regards

Gerryl

Hi Gerry

Just to let you know that I've got copies of a couple of maps marking the positions of the hospitals/convalescent camps etc around Salonika - mainly on the eastern side of the city (Hortiach plateau etc). If you let me have your postal address I'll try to dig them out from my mass of Salonika paperwork and send you some copies.

ALAN

Dear Jeff,

I asked a friend from Istanbul to confirm this picture. Here is the answer she gave me:

This is surely an old and very interesting picture of Istanbul. It shows the Dolmabahce Palace and Dolmabahce Clock Tower by Bosphorus with the military ships (cruisers, destroyer etc) off the shore, belonging to the occupation powers in Istanbul at 1920's after the ist WW.

Regards

Gerryl

Hello Gerryl,
Adds a bit more to my knowledge, I've enhanced the picture a bit. And added a few more that are of land. I think one of them is Istanbul as well based on your new information.
Could the others be Salonika, notice behind the officers is an Ambulance.
Best regards,
Jeff

I am interested in finding out more about the sister of a woman I knew when I was young and she was old. The sister was a Miss Jessie Ritchie, born I think in 1863 or 1866 in Cargill, Blairgowrie, Scotland. She had a Birthday Book in which she kept for many years brief details of her life and people she met and I have the book now. I don't know when she became a nurse but she was one in 1892 in London and either before or after then at Dundee Royal Infirmary. She was nursing in 1902 in South Africa when on the 6th June of that year she met General Smuts at the Orange River Refugee Camp(his autograph is in the book) and she nursed in Salonika, as a Reserve in the Queen Alexandra's Imperial Military Nursing Service where she died on 13/08/1916 and is buried in Lembet Road Military Cemetery.
Her book refers to a Private D. Black, 9221 D Coy 21 Stationary Hospital 1st. Batt. Salonika Force Royal Scots and she lists his 7 brothers, also of the Royal Scots, aged 22,36,16.5, 39, 18,24,15 of whom, she says, "All of them lost their lives fighting for their Country at Ypres, 1915".
Her book also mentions:
1) Corp. G Patton, 48th High. of Canada, Neuve Chapelle, Mar. 1915, Flanders(on Jan. 12th);
2) Pte. G H Paterson No. 11019 6th Gordon Highlanders, present at the attack on Neuve Chapelle on 10th, 11th and 12th March 1915(on April 11th).
3) Pte Ian Perry 9th Royal Scots Edinburgh(on 17th April).
4) "At 21 Stat. Hosp. Salonika 1916 L/Cpl. G Garden 2nd. Cameron (sic) won DCM & the Order of the Cross of St. George on the above date at Ypres 1915." Alongside is written "Halforth Cottage India(something) Inverness".
5) James Mc Gookin 8437 D Company 5 Batt. Royal Irish Regt.Salonika Force(on 8th November).
I hope this information may be of use to someone and if I can help further, I will. Any information anyone has I will be grateful for.

Jim Martin

Hi Jeff,

the pictures are not from Salonika. It looks as if they were all taken at the same hospital. The last one seems to have been taken from the building at the back of the hospital as seen in the first picture. But I am not sure because the quality is not very good. Will check with my turkish friend in Istanbul. On the other hand the hospital in the first picture reminds me of a hospital in Malta. Anybody can verify this?

Gerryl

A few oddments for you Gerry

No 18 Stationary Hospital for Macedonain and Cypriot Mule Corps Lahana; 1918 moved to Lembet

No 21 Stationary Hospital was just to the north of Sarigol.

No 29 Staionary Hospital received POWs from 1916

No 33 Stat. Hosp. = 600 beds, at Sorovitch, near lake Ostrovo

36 & 37 General Hospitals at Vertekop, and 38 General Hospital at Kapudzilar were attached to the Serbian forces.

41 Gen Hosp at Shamli on the Monastir Road

With regard to the lady serving in the QAIMNS who is buried at Lembet Road, you should be able to find her service record at the National Archive at Kew. As I recall the QAIMNS nursing records are in something like WO/398/????? - certainly WO/39? are can be quite comprehensive.

Hi Guys,

Don't forget No.1 New Zealand Stationary Hospital which was at Lembet in 1915-16 for a few months before being replaced by the Canadians. I am working up a short article on them presently. they also had to contend with the torpedoeing of the 'Marquette' en route too, when a number of nurses and orderlies lost their lives. Some are buried at Mikra Bay.

All the Best

Simon Moody

Ps thanks for the 'plug', Dmitri!

Mate,

I enclose the name of three AIF nurses that served in Salonika, if you care to check the Aust Archives site out for there service records it may tell you where they served.

Matron Christine Sorenson AIF served 60 GH awarded RRC 2nd class, MID and Medal de Epidemis by France,

Nurse Agnes O'Neill AIF served 50 GH awarded RRC and MID, and

Nurse Lucy Marchant AIF .

I think two if not all three are availible for free to check out on the Archive site.

Cheers

S.B

Jim - I was interested in this lady too as she is listed on our village hall memorial (wolfhill). I would like to follow it up and wonder if you have found more about her?

Mike Taylor

Just to add to the mix,

An Australian, Olive King, worked as a Volunteer Ambulance Driver in Belgium in 1915 and transferred later that year to the Scottish Women's Hospitals as a driver. She worked in both France and Salonika before transferring to the Serbian Army, then based in Salonika. Her letters from this period have been published as "One Woman at War. Letters of Olive King 1915-1920" (edited by Hazel King, Melbourne University Press, 1986). The letters describe life in Salonika and the conditions under which the medical staff worked.

Hello Marika,
Fascinating to read. My grandfather was treated for frostbite at one of the Canadian hospitals. He was involved in the retreat from Serbia and was with 6th bn. Royal Dublin Fusiliers. The story goes that the young Canadian nurse treating him managed to save his feet. How much was fact or fiction I don't know.
By any chance would the hospitals have kept records?

Thanks a lot,
Ken

My grandfather, Richard William Sollars - Surrey Yeomanry - B Squadron - 28th Division Cavalry and 16th Corps Cavalry, Salonica was in several hospitals in the region.

He had a 'nasty touch of fever' and had 5 teeth pulled out and then had another 6 pulled out. Not nice! His fever was recurrent.

His diary for 1916 read:

"April 19 - two troops relieve cavalry at Embarv??? I have a nasty touch of fever.

May 4 - Just recovered but am sent to hoptres? on way I get upset out of cart, good shake up.

May 5 Zepp raid in night, we get one down. another attack of fires.

May 8 - sent to clearing station feeling fairly fit but unable to get away?

May 10 - sent to rest camp at Lambert
.......
June 15 - sent back to Salonica with fever again.

June 24 - moved from 21 Hospital to the 20th.

July 10 - sent convalescent from 20th to convalescent deopt.

July 15 - sent from convalescent depot, to the Karrasie rest camp.

July 18 - return to Squad, and find nearly half in hospital with fever, heat of 110' in shade.

.....
Aug 19 fever gets me down again. in the 4 Canadian Hospital.

Sep 19 leave hospital and go aboard the hospital ship Denluce Castle for Malta.

Sep 21 arrive at Valleta. disembark for hospital at 3pm. Arrive at St. Potrica M.H. [military hospital] about 5pm. having decent time.

Oct 5 - I go to Tigne Hospital and have five teeth out, have to go again.

Oct 13 - have six more out.
....
Nov 25 very rough storm. half the hospital blown away.

Dec 1 - moved to St. M? Camp, Milleal. not very inspiring "


If anyone can help with identifying the hospital locations or correcting me on spellings, as I can't read all of his writing, I would appreciate it. I'd also love to see photos of any of these military hospitals, convalescent camps etc!

Thanks for your help!

Claire

There is a Salonika campaign society, who may help their newsletter is the mosquito, www.salonika.freeserve.co.uk

Thanks for letting me know about the newsletter. That will be great to have a look at that.

Claire

Dear All,
Has anyone got any more up to date information on Salonika hospitals please? I'm particularly interested in the 21st Stationary hospital. What is a stationary hospital as opposed to any other?
Thanks.

Regarding Jessie Ritchie d 13/08/1916 at Salonika.
Jessie was the daughter of my great great grandfather Alexander Ritchie who lived at the farm of West Mieckle Whitefield Perthshire. He was the overseer of the estates of Dunsinnan and Craigmakerran and died in 1913. Jessie had 3 brothers and 3 sisters. Her brother James Douglas Ritchie emmigrated to NZ and is my great grandfather. I have a copy of a newspaper clipping of Alexander Ritchie's obituary which mentions "one of his daughters is a nurse, and during the Boer war she had charge of the hospital in one of the Concentration Camps". I am presuming this was Jessie but am waiting for her service record from the National Archives to see if this sheds any light.
I have a very bad photocopy of a photo of Jessie and three other nurses in uniform titled "some of Queen Alexandria's Imp Mil Nursing sisters ... St Johns V.A.D at isolation hospital Le Havre 1915" and a photo of her grave with the original wooden cross. In the 1891 Scottish census Jessie is recorded as living at the Royal Infirmary Barrack Road Dundee and her occupation as Nurse in Infirmary.
It would be grateful if anyone has any other information to share.

Thanks

John

John

You may already have seen it, but there is an appealing obituary in the British Journal of Nursing [2nd September 1916], with a photograph:

Jessie Ritchie

The photographs in the online edition always appear in that blacked out form, but you should be able to get a reproduction from the originals, and it's worth contacting the Royal College of Nursing Archives:

RCN Services

Sue

Nurse Ritchie's grave at Lembet Road:
Click to view attachment

If anyone would like a hi-res version, just drop me a PM.

Adrian

Adrian, I'd be very grateful for a high-res. version of the photo of Jessie Ritchie's gravestone. I am interested in any ifo. regarding her as I have a particular interest in discovering details of her family and I have previously mentioned this to mungoman and suggested we swap any information we have.
Do you have a particular interest in her yourself or were you just kindly making the photo available as the subject of her had been raised and as a resident of Salonika you went to the cemetery and took the photo for the Forum?
Jim Strawbridge is preparing a book on nurses who died in the Great War and he has kindly made available to me info. on Jessie he has gathered to date. He would probably be interested in any relevant info. you may have.
To answer mungoman's query, she was in charge of the Orange River Refugee Camp during the Boer War and there she met General Smuts when he disbanded his commando there at the end of that war, and then she entertained him to tea!
Jim

I am researching my grandfather who served with RFA in Salonika from 1915-17. He contracted Malaria and was admitted to the 4th Canadian General hospital (thanks to this post for solving this part of my riddle as all his service record had was 4 Can Gen).

I would like to find out where the 4th Canadian General hospital was located and anything else about it.

Additionally there seem to be a few in this post that have a good knowledge of the Salonika campaign so I am wondering whether anybody has any information on the 26th Division and/or 115th Brigade RFA.

Andrew

Sadly none of the divisions which spent the bulk of their war service in Salonika produced a divisional history; however, some of their constituent units did, such as the 7th Ox & Bucks LI. This will give you an idea of locations, as your grandfather would not have been too far away (relatively speaking).

BTW, my grandfather contracted malaria too. I cannot locate his service record, so your post gives me one possibility as to where he may have been treated.

Andrew,
4th Canadian General Hospital started out in tents at Monastir Road Camp (NW of the city) from November 1915 to May 1916, when they moved into huts in Kalamaria on the "Little Mikra" Cape south of the city. It was just south of the French airfield.
The hospital was very big (up to 2000 beds) and covered quite a large area, but if you go to Google Earth and paste in the coordinates 40.5860 22.9515, then you'll be pretty near the middle of it. Nothing left now, of course!
4th Canadian GH transferred back to the UK in August 1917, and its site was taken over by British 52nd General Hospital.

Here's a photo of 52nd GH taken in late 1918 or early 1919:
Click to view attachment
The photographer is standing in the middle of the south perimeter road of the French Aviation Park (which is off to the left), looking roughly eastwards. (Standing on a spot which, if my calculations are correct, I can see from my office window as I type this!)

Adrian

EDIT: Parts of the War Diary of 4th Canadian General can be downloaded from HERE

Andrew,

I have consulted Charles Packer's 'Return to Salonika' and he does not mention 115th Brigade RFA. However, I can recommended this as an excellent account of service in Salonika, with the added bonus of the author being a member of 26th Division.

Needles to say, Wakefield & Moody's 'Under the Devil's Eye' is also a must read.

Kate,
What unit was your grandfather in? By the way the Canadian Matrix site has war diaries for all the Canadian hospitals (plus a lot of other British units) and in these a number of units and visiting commanders of units are mentioned. Presumably commanders would visit the hispitals where their men were.

http://www.collectionscanada.gc.ca

Andrew

Thanks all for the help and I love the photo...

I have read through the war diaries for the 4th Canadian and they cover the period my grandfather was in hospital, adding some 'local colour' to my knowledge.

Andrew

Adrian,

Do you have the Google Earth coordinates for Lembet Camp?

Andrew

Andrew,
Lembet Camp was a few miles north of the city. 40.6862 22.9456 should put you fairly close to the centre of it, though it extended for a least a mile in every direction from there with supply depots, ammo dumps, remount depots, hospitals etc. The main railhead was just west of these coordinates, across the main road.

Adrian

There is a bit of a clue in Kate's signature - Pte Lines served in the 7th OBLI and then the ASC (660 MT Coy).

I am amazed at what the Internet brings forth. It's as if the oceans of the world slowly retreat, displaying what has been hidden/ignored for generations.

Jessie Ritchie's brother, James Ritchie, was married to my mother's first cousin, Isabella Stewart. Although my mother and Isabella's lives overlapped, they never ever met... or knew of each other.

I uncover this associated familial link to Jessie when I Googled Bruce Stewart, Isabella's brother and found her name mentioned indirectly in a Scottish War Memorials Project page.

Ironic that Bruce Stewart died a POW in Germany, probably in a German Military Hospital.

So much we have to relearn from our past... People, places and events!